Elders Program

Honorary Degree for Elders

The College will consider presenting an Honorary Degree for Elders (HDE) to elders who pursue a separate track of study similar to the regular two-year liberal arts program. The first semester is open to allow the student time to decide whether he/she wishes to declare a regular course study, or to pursue the Honorary Degree for Elders program. The HDE program, once declared by a student participant, has its own criteria, none of which requires financial aid conditions or demands.

HDE study is an entirely new approach to academics and is intended to place greater emphasis on practical benefits for elders who wish to pursue life-long learning aspirations, and to enrich the role of elders in contemporary society. Achievement of the HDE is based on attendance, initiative, traditional mentoring/cultural infusion of junior peers, and the fulfillment of an annual education plan. The regular advisory services of the College will assist each elder in preparing an Annual Education Plan (AEP). Elders enrolled in the HDE program will be exempted from the usual rigors of western assessment methods.